Margot Schmorak from Hostfully shared a host of tips and advice for short-term rental hosts during the latest episode of the Holiday Cottage Handbook Podcast.
After discussing her varied career, which included working for Apple before co-founding Hostfully, one of the world’s leading property management solutions, Margot outlined some key advice for hosts and property managers across the globe.
“You should definitely be using a digital guidebook – and you can use Hostfully for this and start for free. It will reduce the number of questions your guests have about the rental," said Margot.
“Tip number two would be to diversify your booking platform strategy. Don’t just list on Booking.Com, Vrbo, and Airbnb, but also consider your own direct booking website. There is no reason why for repeat guests you can’t try to get those bookings with a little bit more revenue for you. That can make a big impact on your business.
“The third thing I would say is dynamic pricing. Make sure you’re looking at comparisons and benchmarks in your area that make sense for your rental."
Margot also discussed the potential impact of upsells.
“The best property managers are offering really personalised upsells. We have one property manager who makes a boatload on selling firewood. He buys the firewood for a few bucks, sells it for $35 and turns $150 revenue into $180 revenue. Finding the things that are going to be meaningful for your guest and your property – and selling them via your digital guidebook platform – can really help your business.”
Listen to the full episode featuring Margot Schmorak:
HCH website
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